Posted on 03/25/2009 11:40:10 AM PDT by LibWhacker
EDMONTON - The Comic Strip at West Edmonton Mall has cancelled an appearance by comedian Doug Benson after the club received threats in response to his remarks on an American TV show about Canada's military.
Greg Gutfield, the host of Red Eye, which airs on Fox at 3 a.m. weekdays, has since apologized for comments that caused a firestorm in Canada as the country mourns the recent loss of four soldiers in Afghanistan.
On the show, Gutfeld mocked comments from Canada’s commander of land forces, Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie, who said on March 10 that the military would need a year to recover from its Afghan deployment because of the wear and tear on its equipment and personnel.
Gutfeld suggested the Canadian military would use the year to "do some yoga, paint some landscapes and run on the beach."
"Isn’t this the perfect time to invade this ridiculous country," Gutfeld continued. "They have no army."
"I didn’t even know they were in the war," said Benson, a panelist on the show. "I thought that’s where you go if you don’t want to fight."
Gutfeld said his comments were meant to be satirical.
"For the safety and security of The Comic Strip's patrons and staff, Doug Benson's shows have subsequently been cancelled," reads a press release from The Comic Strip.
The bodies of Canada’s four most recent Afghan casualties were due to arrive at CFB Trenton on Monday. The soldiers were killed Friday in two separate IED blasts.
Canada has lost 116 soldiers and one diplomat since the war in Afghanistan began in 2002.
How would I be a canadian lefty when I worked for the Harper campaign in 06’?
Crossed the line? Are you joking? It was, and is, funny. Canada enjoys the protection that the USA provides. The USA accounts for HALF of the worldwide spending on its military. Canada ranks 14th. ( http://www.globalissues.org/article/75/world-military-spending#InContextUSMilitarySpendingVersusRestoftheWorld ) Behind India and Brazil.
Obviously Canada continues to be a strong ally, but let’s be serious. No one respects Canada’s military might. Even their own General quoted in the article. Can you imagine an American commander talking about taking a year off to recover? Of course he wouldn’t. Because Americans can’t afford to take a year off, because Americans don’t have a neighbor that will protect us while we sleep.
Get real!
Vimy Ridge. World War I
Canadian units were instrumental in the Allies victory in that battle. One of the turning points in the war.
Also, Canadian forces served admirably in the Boer Wars.
Too bad few Americans learn Canadian history. A good way to start is to check out the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa (with the hands-on World War I style trench used in WW I...interesting and a little scary)
Thicker skin? Na. The timing was real bad for one thing. Plus it wasn’t even funny. A lot of Americans are embarrassed by the display of ignorance as well. Except those that don’t even know where Canada is of course.
Oh, you mean Vimy Ridge? Dieppe? (OK, that wasn’t a victory, it was a bloody massacre where the Canadians were sent into an impossible situation.) Normandy? The Scheldt Estuary? Afghanistan for seven years?
Shove it. The Canuck soldiers kick ass. It’s not their fault they’re working for a bunch of left-wing anti-military idiots that are too busy funding research on socialist transgenered seals to worry about actually spending money on their armed forces.
}:-)4
The comment about people going there not to fight is fanstastic. And it is obviuosly meant as irony, and is just as obviuosly about Americans and the American perspective. That Canadians get upset about this says much more about them than it does about Benson or Gutfeld.
Don Cherry has totally supported the coalition’s (US/Canada)involvement in the Middle East after 9/11....even when the left had threatened his job.
Cherry is a “Great Canadian”
Tell that to the 4 brave Canadian Soldiers that came home in a box yesterday. 8 others were wounded protecting freedom and liberty on the same day those 4 died. Oh and there's another 112 that came home in a box. Who gives a spit what their spending rank is. They are brave and well trained soldiers and not one of them (especially the ones that paid the ULTIMATE PRICE) deserved that from the Fox guys or your dumb ass. You can safely bet that if America comes under fire, our brethren to the north will come to our aid just as we would theirs.
"You're gonna love my nuts!"
::laughs::
My husband said that the other night when I was chopping almonds in the kitchen and I nearly cut my fingers off because I was giggling so hard.
His other favorite, from the original Sham-Wow commercial:
You know the Germans always make good stuff.
Hubby finds ways to say that & make it funny every time.
The one I don't quite get is this line in the original: You know you're spending $20.00 a month every month on paper towels anyway.
Good heavens! That would be more than a case of paper towels a month. I want to see what sort of family uses a case a month. I use a case every year or so.
Actually Canada used to be the third largest military force in the world, and America wasn’t first or second at the time either.
They did their bit, and paid dearly for it too. Absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
It’s after the Korean war that the Liberals really let the army go.
But don’t underestimate the troops that remain. They are all top notch.
Don't kid yourself. Canadian jets do more sorties than ours do on the entire North east coast over the USA. What protection do we provide? It's Canadian f18's out of cold lake that turn back Russian bombers every single time they challenge Canadian airspace. We just patrol around the seas off our own coasts, not theirs.
They were no shows in Iraq! I have all the respect for Canada but before this guy was elected the one before him regularly bashed us.
I saw that cut, I’d like to stomp a mudhole in his a$$. For those of us with family serving, those SOBs need lining up against the wall, or just hand them over to us.
I wasn't aware of that, when was it?
What in Sam Hell does that have to do with the guys in uniform?
The poem “In Flanders Fields” was written in 1915 by a Canadian, Lt. Col. John McCrae (1872-1918).
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